biography

Heidi Skok has triumphed in her transition to the mezzo-soprano repertoire. After her outstanding recital debut in November of 2006 at Boston's Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory, she sang two concerts within the next six months at New York's Carnegie Hall with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. Miss Skok sang the mezzo solos in Vivaldi's Gloria and returned to the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall for Canadian composer Imant Raminsch's new work, "The Peace of Wild Things." Miss Skok will return to Carnegie Hall in February of 2008 to sing the mezzo-soprano solos in Handel's Sing Unto God and Mozart's Requiem.

A former soprano, Heidi Skok performed in numerous productions at the Metropolitan Opera between 1992 and 2003, some of which include Elektra, Ariadne auf Naxos, Rigoletto, Jenufa, and Britten’s Death in Venice. During the 1998-1999 MET season, Skok performed as Masha in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades conducted by Valery Gergiev, which was featured on PBS's "Live from Lincoln Center." In addition, during the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 season, Skok sang in the MET’s premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron as one of the Naked Virgins, with James Levine at the podium. During the 2000-2001 season, Heidi Skok sang again under Maestro Levine’s baton as a Flowermaiden in Wagner’s Parsifal. In December 2003, she reprised her role of the Naked Virgin for the third time, again under the baton of James Levine.

As a soprano, Miss Skok sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, all for Wolf Trap Opera, as well as Micaëla in Carmen for Pittsburgh Opera and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel for Kansas City Lyric Opera.

Miss Skok is renowned as a recital and concert artist, championing new music by American composers.  Skok has participated at the Schubertiade at the 92nd Street Y, with the late baritone, Hermann Prey. Other New York concert appearances have included Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, also at the 92nd Street Y, Faure’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, and concerts with Positive Music at Weill Recital Hall. Heidi Skok sang Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and Brahm’s Deutches Requiem with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Florida. She has toured South America in recital and has performed in concert in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Lucca (Italy) Salzburg and Tel Aviv. During the summer of 1999, Skok performed at the renowned summer festival Ravinia, in Highland Park, Illinois in the Steans Institute for Young Artists. Miss Skok sang at the Marlboro Music Festival during the summer of 2001. Heidi made her Troy Savings Bank Music Hall debut in Troy, New York, in 2003 under the baton of David Janower singing the Dvorak Te Deum with the Albany Pro Musica . In 2002 and 2003, Heidi debuted with the Saratoga Choral Festival under the direction of Dr. Andrea Goodman. Works performed were the Lord Nelson Mass by Joseph Haydn and Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Heidi Skok has won numerous awards and prizes including The Sullivan Award from Opera America, the Opera Index, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and she was a Semi-finalist for the 1997 Birgit Nilsson Prize. 

Her solo CD album of Ned Rorem’s Song Cycle of Women’s Voices & Songs of Martin Hennessy was released in 1998 on the Newport Classic label and is selling nationwide and in Canada.  Skok has recorded for MusAcom, an Internet company that provides practice tools for the learning and teaching of singing.

Heidi Skok is a 1994 alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artist Development Program, a 1990 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in Vocal Performance and a 1991 recipient of an Artist’s Diploma from Tito Capobianco’s Pittsburgh Opera Center (Duquesne University). Miss Skok is an active teacher of singing as well, maintaining thriving studios in Boston, Massachussetts, Albany, New York and New York City. Additionally, she teaches students world-wide via Skype on the Web.